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Grape varieties and Appellations: Montepulciano

Posted on: 16-05-2013

Do not confuse the beautiful city Montepulciano in Tuscany with the grape Montepulciano, which thrives in abundance in the Abruzze, and in some other regions like Latium, Marche, Molise, Umbria and Apulia as well. Also be careful to not confuse the name with the Tuscan wine Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, as it is made from the Sangiovese grape and is named for the village it is produced in.

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Icardi fully BIO certified

Posted on: 15-05-2013

This year's edition of Vinitaly had a particular importance for Icardi, whose fame soundly roots in a passionate approach to winemaking and a respectful relationship with nature.
In the days before the event, the winery finally became fully certified as Producer of Organic Wine.

According to BIOS, one of the European leading certifying body, the winery is in "keeping with the Reg. EC 834/2007 for the following activities

- Cultivationof grapevine
- Wine-making and wine bottling, labelling and marketing.

The farm, established in 1914, is located at the boundary between two renowned Piedmont vineyard terroirs – Langa and Monferrato.

The philosophy behind the wines has always been constant research and improvements in viticulture and thorough commitment to quality, a vision endorsed also by the last generation of Icardi's.

"Our focus is a healthy land as healthy as one hundred years ago. The result are excellent vines" says Claudio, oenologist. He has carried on and developed the work his father began, expanded the estate to 75 organically cultivated hectars, and to a further 10 hectares dedicated to biodynamic techniques, consolidating an International reputation of top quality producer.

"My brother is unique at talent scouting the vineyards where chemicals have never caught on", confirms Mariagrazia, the other half of this succesful story, who has overseen the growth of the company from a commercial point of view and has always stood as her brother's irreplaceable right hand.

Their main labels will now soon feature the EU "green-leaf" logo and will bear the appellation "VINO BIOLOGICO" as per the newly ammended CE 203/2012.

This recent development means a whole new scenario opening up for all producers vocated to organic farming and wine-making, that so far could only distinguish themselves by labelling their wines as "vino prodotto da agricoltura biologica" (= wine made from organic grapes).

Prior to it, the existing rules on organic farming standards in fact regulated grapevine cultivation but did not cover wine-making practices.

To close the loophole, the Standing Committee on Organic Farming (SCOF) has agreed on ammending the legislation with the purpose of:

1. improving transparency and better consumer recognition
2. introducing a technical definition of organic wine consistent with the principles previously laid down in EC 834/2007, and specify the parameters that all certifying bodies should universally apply.
3. unify regulations within the EU member countries.
4. definying the admitted organic oenological practices, processes and treatments, including the usage of additives or processing aids.

For example, sorbic acid and desulfurisation will not be allowed and the level of sulphites in organic wine must be at least 30-50 mg per litre lower than their conventional equivalent (depending on the residual sugar content):

	Conventional Wines	Organic Wines	Organic wines with residual sugar > 2gr/L
Red Wines	150 mg/L	100 mg/L	120 mg/L
White and Rosé	200 mg/L	150 mg/L	170 mg/L

However, as extreme weather conditions in certain wine-growing regions make it necessary, it is allowed to use supplementary amounts of sulphites to achieve stability of the final product when such conditions exist.

This is one of the controvertial issues to be probably ridiscussed in August 2015, when a new revision to the law is expected. Another not-so-well accepted compromise is the one between the purists that would ban SO2 and all the other addittives alike and those keen on allowing a wise usage of certain non-organic substances, for example selected yeasts and tannins, common in conventional winemaking and useful in preventing the proliferation of unwanted microorganisms and preserving the organolepthic characteristics of the wine itself.

However and until further revisions, the new regulation was enforced on the 1st of August 2012. The transition on the labels will be carried on smoothly:

- starting from the 2012 vintage, the wines produced from organically cultivated vineyards and by organic wine-making standards, will be labelled as organic and bear the EU logo.
- for earlier vintages, all wines whose organic origin and make can be confirmed as adherent to the current regulations, could be labelled as organic. Those wines produced with organic grapes but that do not adhere to the current wine-making rules must be simply labelled as wine made with organic grapes.

Icardi can be a good example of the work ethics needed to successfully perform in the Organic Viticulture segment and how to take best advantage of a good timing to obtain the certification according to the new regulations. As it emerges looking at the figures published by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), it is a healthy sector, where producers are not intimidated by the enforcement of stricter regulations and consumers are encouraged in "greener" purcharses by a growing awareness.

In the past 10 years the total cultivated area in Italy has decreased by 12% to the current 663.905 ha, while in the same period the organically cultivated area has increased to 52.273 ha (+20%). This means that 9% of all italian viticultural production is now certified as organic (source: www.inumeridelvino.it)

According to figures from CIA, the Association of Italian Farmers, consumers world-wide show more and more interest in the Italian Organic Wine production with countries like Germany, the U.K., the U.S.A., China and Japan being the most appealing markets. In France the value for imported Organic wines accounts already to € 332 mln, 10% of the overall Organic market value, an unexpected opportunity for Italinan wineries to seize!

On the domestic front, in the last year consumption has risen by 7,3% an opposite trend to the overall pro-capita consumption and the 19% of the Italian families has bought an Organic wine for an healthier and more sustainable choice. Additionally the 4,5% of wine consumers stated that the organic nature of a wine was the main reason why to choose a label on a supermarket shelf (the 46% rates denomination of origin as the most important factor).

Grape varieties and Appellations: Ciliegiolo - Taste the Maremma in your glass!

Posted on: 07-05-2013

In Italy at this moment there are around 5000 hectares cultivated with the virtually unknown red grape variety Ciliegiolo, but unfortunately this number of hectares continues to decline. Ciliegiolo is not an easy grape to grow and at times it suffers from shatter.